Fall is just settling into Angers now, and the weather is cool and rainy. Luckily this change happened today, after our second annual day of vendanges at the Manoir de Versillé yesterday.www.chevaliers-xxsiecle.asso.fr/N25B.htm
Students are busy settling their schedules as the rentrée universitaire is upon us. I am happy to announce that our efforts to encourage greater academic rigor and heightened integration into the local community seem to be bearing fruit. Record numbers of students are seeking a more challenging academic experience in Angers this year, by taking a more demanding course load at the CIDEF, or by enrolling in regular cours universitaires at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest. Notre Dame is sponsoring three special courses at the UCO this fall: ANTHRO 325, "L'Anthropologie culturelle" (Viesner); "POLS 355/SOC 355, "La Politique française depuis la 5e République" (Jardin), and-see sllyabus- ROFR 275/462, "La Littérature et la cuisine françaises" (Douthwaite/Viglione)
Volunteer service is on an upswing as well, thanks to an Informational Meeting held in September with various schools in the area. Students are now involved in a wide range of volunteer service: English teaching at the Ecole St Laud and the Université d'Angers, theatrics at the Ecole Ste Agnès, soutien scolaire with high school students and students of the ESA (Ecole Supérieure d'Agriculture), and the ever-popular Wednesday story hours at the Bibliothèque Américaine. The months ahead will bring many activities of interest. We will be exploring our own region's history and traditions, hosting guest speakers, and traveling afield to meet other experts who will tell the students about their careers, and inspire us to seek new challenges in the future.Here is a brief list of our activities in Fall - Winter 2002-03
October: Mme Jacqueline Friedrich, food and wine expert, author of A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire Lecture & tasting on regional products from the Val de Loire.
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November: Mme Melinda
Henneberger, (ND '`80; SUNDEF 1978)-read
one of her articles-Coffee hour with students during day, room 100,
time tba Dinner and speech about her career and life issues in evening.
(After graduating with a B.A. in American studies, Mme Henneberger did a
volunteer year through Holy Cross Associates, then through a Rotary Fellowship
spent a year at l'Universite Catholique de Louvain, in Louvain-la-Neuve,
Belgium, where she earned a masters in European studies. After an internship
at the EC in Brussels, she started as a night cop reporter at the Dallas
Morning News, then went on to work for New York Newsday and the New York
Times, where she was a reporter for the last 10 years, including 7 in the
Washington bureau. Most recently, she was the paper's Rome bureau chief.)
November: Trip to Paris to tour the headquarters of the US Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with Mr. Brian McFeeters (ND '83).
November: Excursion to Chinon. Visit medieval fortress/chateau, medieval city, lunch at La Boule d'or restaurant; visit to birth home of Renaissance author François Rabelais.
November: Thanksgiving. Big feast with SUNDEF students and host families.
December: Excursion to L'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud. Guided tour of 12th-century abbey, lunch at the Prieuré de Fontevraud, and concert in the chapel.
December: Visit to Paris headquarters of the Fulbright Foundation, to meet with representatives of the Foundation and learn about grants and study abroad opportunities.
January: Visit to Paris to meet Mr. William Pfaff-see a list of his publications-(ND 49; Honorary doctorate ND '92) author, syndicated columnist, and journalist for The International Herald Tribune.
Mid-March 2003: Pastoral retreat,led by Rev. Patrick Gaffney, C.S.C. and Professor of Anthropology. Saturday: Mass/ retreat/ picnic at l'Ile Béhuard, in 15th-century chapel carved out of the stone, on an island in the Loire. Sunday:brunch/wrap-up session and mass at Cathedral.
March-April: Visit to Brussels, tour of European Parliament with staff interpretors, and meetings with Mr. Joe MacManus (head of Public Affairs Section, US Embassy to Belgium) and Dr. Jim Foster (Deputy Chief of Mission,US Mission to European Union.
More news later.
Amicalement, Julia Douthwaite